Inter frequency measurement may be used by the UTRAN (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) e.g. for handover decisions. The measurements are defined in 3GPP TS 25.215, the measurement model is defined in 3GPP TS 25.302 and the measurement accuracies are specified in section 3GPP TS 25.133, section 9. Control of measurement reporting is specified in 3 GPP TS 25.331 and parallel measurements are specified in 3GPP TS 25.133 section 8.2. Compressed mode is specified in 3GPP TS 25.215.
Present disclosure relates to carrier frequency measurement in communications systems. In 3GPP TS 25.331 section 8.4.0 is a number of definitions regarding such measurement procedures listed.
Thus, an UTRAN may control a measurement in the User Equipment either by broadcast of system information and/or by transmitting a measurement control message. The following information is used to control the User Equipment measurements and the measurement results reporting:
1. Measurement identity: A reference number that should be used by the UTRAN when setting up, modifying or releasing the measurement and by the UE in the measurement report.
2. Measurement command: One out of three different measurement commands.                Setup: Setup a new measurement.        Modify: Modify a previously defined measurement, e.g. to change the reporting criteria.        Release: Stop a measurement and clear all information in the UE that are related to that measurement.        
3. Measurement type: One of the types listed below describing what the UE shall measure.
The different types of measurements are:                Intra-frequency measurements: measurements on downlink physical channels at the same frequency as the active set. A measurement object corresponds to one cell;        Inter-frequency measurements: measurements on downlink physical channels at frequencies that differ from the frequency of the active set and on downlink physical channels in the active set. A measurement object corresponds to one cell;        Inter-RAT measurements: measurements on downlink physical channels belonging to another Radio Access Technology (RAT) than UTRAN, e.g. GSM or E-UTRA. A measurement object corresponds to one cell (e.g. GSM) or one frequency (e.g. E-UTRA);        Traffic volume measurements: measurements on uplink traffic volume. A measurement object corresponds to one cell;        Quality measurements: Measurements of downlink quality parameters, e.g. downlink transport block error rate.        UE-internal measurements: Measurements of UE transmission power and UE received signal level;        UE positioning measurements: Measurements of UE position.        
3GPP requires UEs to be capable of performing measurements on up to two non used frequencies, see 3GPP TS 25.133 section 8.1.2.1:                32 inter frequency cells, including                    FDD cells distributed on up to 2 additional FDD carriers.Today there are requirements for the UE to be able to measure up to two non-used frequencies for each cell.                        
There are also measurement performance requirements, see 3GPP TS 25.133, for how fast these measurements shall be completed.
This is sufficient when performing measurements for pure coverage purposes. Typical scenarios involve rescuing users moving out of a capacity cluster on to a macro layer. Being able to select between two target macro layers is more than enough.
The operators deploy networks with more and more frequencies and there is an increasing need for measuring and find new frequencies. According to the present standard, an UE must have the capability to measure two non-used frequencies that sets the limit when having microcells with different frequencies for load sharing and at the same time needs the escape possibility and protection to find a new cell with better coverage. An UE having a certain processor capacity may therefore not have enough capacity to perform measurement control for more cells and frequencies, i.e. measurements on more than two non used frequencies, without increasing the processing load of the user equipment. To inter frequency measurement, the standard of 3GPP TS 25.133 provides algorithms for determining the time in a certain radio environment for identifying the best cell for a certain frequency. There are also requirements, e.g. RAN4, set for maximum time for delivering a measurement report.
However, the processor demands and performance requirements are great for an UE to find a new cell and at the same time measure the quality of the frequencies. Said demands and requirements are set in 3GPP TS 25.133, and they are linked to the compressed mode gaps in which the measurements are performed.